A used-Tesla dealer in Britain bought a very high-mileage Model 3 to find out what 250,000 miles actually does to one. The short answer, reported on 12 September, is that it does less than most buyers fear.
The car is a 2021 Model 3 Long Range. It covered 250,000 miles — about 402,000 km — in under five years, averaging roughly 150 miles a day. Richard Symons, who runs what he describes as Britain's largest used Tesla showroom, bought it specifically to put numbers on high-mileage ownership rather than argue about it.
The battery
It is the original pack, and it holds 84% of its rated capacity. On a summer charge that is about 284 miles of usable range.
The second fear about an ageing pack — that it stops charging quickly — did not show up either. On a Supercharger, an 11-minute session added 30% and around 85 miles. Lifetime efficiency works out at 4.15 miles per kWh, or roughly 15.0 kWh/100 km.
What wore out, and what did not
| Component | After 250,000 miles |
|---|---|
| Traction battery | Original — 84% capacity |
| Drive motors | Original |
| Brake discs and pads | Original |
| Brake fluid and coolant | Original |
| Tyres | Six sets |
| Wiper blades | Several sets |
| Suspension bushings | Replaced |
| Rear dampers | Replaced as a precaution, not failed |
| Front bumper speaker | The one unscheduled failure |
The brakes are the row worth pausing on. Regenerative braking does most of the slowing in normal driving, so friction material lasts in a way it never does on a combustion car. Original discs and pads at 402,000 km is a maintenance saving, not a curiosity.
The one part that genuinely failed was the external speaker in the front bumper — the pedestrian-warning unit that new electric cars are required to carry. The report also has the car still recording 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds.
How it fits the wider data
One car is one car, and this one was bought and assessed by someone whose business is selling used Teslas. It is worth reading against a larger sample. Aviloo's first Battery Report, drawn from more than half a million tests, found the median Model Y still at 90.3% after 150,000 km. This Model 3 is roughly 2.7 times further down the road for about another six points — consistent with a degradation curve that falls early and then flattens.
Running costs point the same way. A French owner published his figures the same week: 76,000 km in a 2022 Model 3 at 15.2 kWh/100 km, an average of €3.33 per 100 km, and two wiper blades as the only thing replaced.
What this means for European buyers
A steady 150 miles a day is close to the gentlest duty cycle a battery can have. Long runs mean fewer full cycles per mile and less time parked at a high state of charge — the opposite of a car that does 20 miles a day and sits at 90% between them. A high odometer is not automatically a warning on a used EV, but how the miles were put on still matters more than how many there are.
That distinction is about to get easier to check. From November, new EU cars must carry an environmental passport showing battery health, and the British trade is pushing for a battery health certificate on every used EV.